Why Your Water Footprint is Hanging the Planet Out to Dry
posted by: Beth B. 122 days ago
Beth B. only waters her Northern Colorado garden in the early morning and early evening.
Ever since Al Gore revealed the most inconvenient truth of all and forced most of the world to face its contribution to the global climate crisis, people have been scrambling to reduce, eliminate and otherwise zero out their carbon footprints.
Defined as the amount of carbon emissions the purchases, lifestyle and travel options of a particular person cause to be added to the atmosphere, the carbon footprint concept has provided an easily understood starting point for people who had never before realized that actions other than littering can have a negative effect on the planet.
Well, just when you thought had everything reduced, reused and recycled enough to keep you out of the red when it came to assessing your carbon footprint, scientists and activists have coined yet another footprint for you to worry about: your water footprint.
From the Water Footprint Network (WFN):
"The interest in the water footprint is rooted in the recognition that human impacts on freshwater systems can ultimately be linked to human consumption, and that issues like water shortages and pollution can be better understood and addressed by considering production and supply chains as a whole,” says Professor Arjen Y. Hoekstra, creator of the water footprint concept and scientific director of the Water Footprint Network. "Water problems are often closely tied to the structure of the global economy. Many countries have significantly externalised their water footprint, importing water-intensive goods from elsewhere. This puts pressure on the water resources in the exporting regions, where too often mechanisms for wise water governance and conservation are lacking. Not only governments, but also consumers, businesses and civil society communities can play a role in achieving a better management of water resources."
The official website of the WFN offers information about both national and corporate waterfootprinting, as well as an interesting Product Gallery where users can scroll through images of different foodstuffs and industrial materials, learning about their respective environmental impacts resulting from the water it takes to make or consume them.
The website also includes quick and extended water footprint calculators that can help demonstrate the impact of your lifestyle and water useage, as well as things that you can do to start reducing it.
Water is fast becoming one of the world's most precious resources, with many nations of the world struggling to meet the freshwater needs of the human population. Investigate options in your community for conserving and reusing water and support legislation that keep our planet blue.
Defined as the amount of carbon emissions the purchases, lifestyle and travel options of a particular person cause to be added to the atmosphere, the carbon footprint concept has provided an easily understood starting point for people who had never before realized that actions other than littering can have a negative effect on the planet.
Well, just when you thought had everything reduced, reused and recycled enough to keep you out of the red when it came to assessing your carbon footprint, scientists and activists have coined yet another footprint for you to worry about: your water footprint.
From the Water Footprint Network (WFN):
"The interest in the water footprint is rooted in the recognition that human impacts on freshwater systems can ultimately be linked to human consumption, and that issues like water shortages and pollution can be better understood and addressed by considering production and supply chains as a whole,” says Professor Arjen Y. Hoekstra, creator of the water footprint concept and scientific director of the Water Footprint Network. "Water problems are often closely tied to the structure of the global economy. Many countries have significantly externalised their water footprint, importing water-intensive goods from elsewhere. This puts pressure on the water resources in the exporting regions, where too often mechanisms for wise water governance and conservation are lacking. Not only governments, but also consumers, businesses and civil society communities can play a role in achieving a better management of water resources."
The official website of the WFN offers information about both national and corporate waterfootprinting, as well as an interesting Product Gallery where users can scroll through images of different foodstuffs and industrial materials, learning about their respective environmental impacts resulting from the water it takes to make or consume them.
The website also includes quick and extended water footprint calculators that can help demonstrate the impact of your lifestyle and water useage, as well as things that you can do to start reducing it.
Water is fast becoming one of the world's most precious resources, with many nations of the world struggling to meet the freshwater needs of the human population. Investigate options in your community for conserving and reusing water and support legislation that keep our planet blue.
Read more: environment & wildlife
comments
Dear Meredith D, this is not a spat. I am simply fed up with all of this. I think the real truth needs to be told about what is really happening. There are many scientist that believe that we are heading into another ice age. Of course it wouldn't be the earths first ice age, now would it?
All I want to do is give you and others the other side of this coin. The real truth that our government is not telling you. Did you know that Spain inacted a cap and trade system to help the environment. Very similar to what the congress recently passed. They lost 2 jobs for every 1 green job that was created, their unemployment has risen to over 18%, and their country's economic system is in shambles. Is that what you want for the US?
Now to answer you on the oil issue. We are not running out of oil, that is a blatant outright lie. We have trillions of barrels of oil right here in the US that is still under ground. We have vast reserves of shale oil that lays underneath CO, WY, and CA. Not to mention that shale oil is renewable. We would literally never run out. I have included a link for your convenience. All I have ever asked from people on this site is to consider the possiblity that there may be another truth out there and that they are not being told what they should know.
Not only that, but aren't politicians supposed to be public servants? Aren't they supposed to work for us?
http://dailyreckoning.com/oil-shale-reserves/
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I'd just like to point out that although there may be politicians invested in green industry, there are also a TON of politicians profiting off of fossil fuels. Now, fossil fuels are going to run out eventually; they are a finite resource. So smart investors would invest early in "the next big thing" which in this case is green technology, which is inevitable, since we'll run out of fossil fuels pretty quickly if the developing world continues developing. Are you upset at some politicians for investing in future technology instead of current and past technology? What does hat prove? Even if you completely ignore the global warming theory, you can't get around the fact that we'll run out of fossil fuels, and we'd better be ready for an alternative when that happens. So I'm all for people investing in the technology we're going to need eventually, global warming or no. Now we can stop the childish bickering and name calling. It's not about global warming anymore; it's just an economic decision. Now, with that in mind, continue your little spat.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
David, I truly appreciate your comment, I have a few things to say though. There may be 20,000 scientists who are working on this and believe in this, I agree with that number. However, there are 30,000 scientists and meteorologists that have file a law suit against Al Gore for this false and misleading conception as put forth in his movie An Inconvenient Truth. With all due respect, those 30,000 can not all be wrong either.
Let's explore the hole in the ozone layer that had thousands panicing decades ago. Remember that? We were all going to burn alive if we did not do something to stop the hole from expanding. So out goes freon and aerosols. In comes new products. Guess what, over the years we have learned that the hole in the ozone is naturally occuring and it expands and contracts seasonally. Hmmm, but now scientists have discovered that the replacements for things like freon, have created a bigger problem. That information was released by NASA a few days ago. David, I was not trying to conceal any information nor do I have a different intended meaning to anything that I am saying. You partially proved my point with confirming that there has been numerous climate changes over the billions of years this earth has been here. How does anyone truly know that this is not just another cycle? How long have we been taking records of rainfall, tempreture, snowfall, and so forth? A little over a hundrend years?
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
It is hard to distinguish whether Renee is simply naive (despite saying "research both sides"), or whether there is some intentional obfuscation. Just picking one point in her last comment, stating that there have been numerous climate changes over the billions of years that the Earth has been here. The problem is that one of them resulted in the Permian mass extinction, that destroyed over 80% of all life, including all the larger animals (long before there were dinosaurs) and most sea life. It took about 100 million years to recover.
The issue is not whether there is natural variation in climate -- some has been caused by giant volcanic emissions as global plates slid around, some possibly due to meteor collisions. However, the issue is that humanity is now rapidly increasing the greenhouse gas contents of the atmosphere to levels approaching the same levels that occured naturally during other extinction periods in Earth's history (if I remember, there were about six mass extinctions, with Permian being the most extensive).
Every person with the capacity to read or discuss information thoroughly has a responsibility to understand the underlying facts as well as possible. There is much more to this than I can say here, of course. Last point: maybe a few speakers on the topic of environment will make or do make good money with this. But one must be drugged to think that 20,000 scientists (and me) are working on this to get rich. Sheesh!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Nan B, you are right there is a lot of information, but the one thing you and everyone must keep in mind. There are many people out there who are going to make money off of scaring you and everyone into giving them control. Try to keep an open mind about all of it. I have researched all aspects of global warming, climate change and so forth. When you research both sides, you will definitely see competing opinions on all levels of the spectrum. They are all educated scientists, The truth must fall somewhere in the middle.
The biggest obstacle I have to believing that climate change is caused by human beings is our earth's history. There have been numerous climate changes over the billions of years this earth has been here, but humans have only been industrialized for a minute fraction of that time. Think about this, we have been industrialized for only 150 years!! Out of billions of years, that is nothing!! Use common sense when considering all aspects of their theory. Do not believe anything that Al Gore is saying, he stands to make billions from his agenda. He has already made 100's of millions. He does not live as he preaches which is the biggest example that he is a liar.
Just use your brain and remember what you were taught in grade school regarding our earths climate. Back in the 70's was very different than now.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
so much info....where do we go from here!!!!!!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Final question, after water goes down the drain whether it be from a toilet, sink, or bathtub. What do you think happens to it? Where is all of our water going if we have a water shortage? Doesn't waste water go to a sewage treatment plant, where it then evaporates and rains down somewhere else? Isn't that how this whole water cycle works? That is why I said earlier that we are drinking the same water the dinosaurs peed in. Seriously, we are. Water doesn't just vanish.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Can you imagine not being able to drink water,
batheing, washing your clothes not being able to put water in your car not being able to water your plants? Just think what we do without water around us at all times if we don't do something and something fast all of life as we know it today would be gone and gone for life.
We have to find a way to reuse the water we waste everyday or all of things I have listed will be gone.
In some countries they have figured out a way to use sea water where is the United States with this idea?
MAY GOD BLESS US ALL NOW AND FOR ALL TIMES AS I AM SURE HE WILL!!!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Test
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
global warming is not killing Polar Bears by drowning them... they can swim just fine... the ice is melting... they are dying from hunger, they (like all animals) evolved to fit their enviroment they need the ice to hunt seals... they cannot hunt in water or in land, they need ice (look for this animal hunting method, called still-hunting), they don't eat thru summer... if summer gets longer they die and that's what's happening...
Global warming is not a single cause-effect is the result of many things we've triggered, by the way CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas... but I know this is junk for some... so I'm just sayin 'cause I wanna.
Yeah, and Budha, the prophets and all Gods and Goddesses should teach to be responsible of ones actions... and to take care of each waste.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account:
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
1188536